1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a prepaid card management method and system which can comprehensively manage an issuance of personal identification numbers (PINs) in various affiliated prepaid card companies and even when each generation system of each PIN is different for each affiliated prepaid card company, can adjustably issue the PIN.
2. Description of Related Art
A prepaid card is generally utilized in a prepayment method when making a call. Also, the prepaid card may indicate a card which enables a user to receive a call service within a range of its balance by inputting a personal identification number (PIN), that is written on the prepaid card, via a communication terminal before or after inputting a telephone number that the user desires to connect to. In the present invention, the prepaid card includes any type of card which enables a user to utilize goods or services within a certain amount of money, such as a telephone card, an Internet game card, and a gift certificate.
The prepaid card described above is generally made of a plastic material and then, sold and distributed. In this instance, a predetermined strengthening process is required to prevent the prepaid card from being damaged in the distribution and a special process is also required to protect a card number which is written on a top surface of the prepaid card. Consequently, a manufacturing cost of the prepaid card increases.
As an improved example of issuing a prepaid card, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-55806, (hereinafter, conventional art) discloses a ‘prepaid card information generation system’ which reads a type of a prepaid card and a redemption value of the prepaid card from a barcode and generates prepaid card information whose redemption value is identical to a paid amount. Namely, in the conventional art, the prepaid card information system generates prepaid card information in a prepaid card information generation unit, utilizing the type of the prepaid card and the redemption value of the prepaid card that was read by the barcode reader of a point of sales (POS) device, and transmits the generated prepaid card information to the POS device. In this instance, the prepaid card information generation unit is positioned in, e.g. a central management server while the POS device is positioned in a store. The transmitted prepaid card information is printed out on a type of paper including a card number, and provided to the user.
However, the configuration according to the conventional art may need to install an additional prepaid card information generation device associated with the generation of prepaid card information in the central management server. In this case, the configuration may become complicated and an installation cost may be increased. Also, in the conventional art, the prepaid card information is generated in the central management server. Also, since each card number generation system is different for each prepaid card company, in actuality the generated prepaid card information in the central management server may not be subsequently utilized. Accordingly, in the conventional art, a configuration which recognizes each different PIN generation system of each prepaid card company and controls a compatible card number to be issued is essentially required. However, until now, no widely recognized and optimal configuration has been embodied.
Accordingly, a prepaid card issue system which can secure an adaptable issuance of a PIN and reduce an installation cost for a generation system of the PIN by amalgamating each PIN issue system associated with each prepaid card company in charge of generation of the PIN, and comprehensively managing the each PIN issue system of the each prepaid card company in an operation system is required.